Hip Procedures FAQs

As a weight-bearing ball and socket joint, the hip is prone to various ailments which may occur as a result of aging, traumatic injury or disease. Many of these require surgical intervention for diagnosis or repair.

What is hip arthroscopy?

Hip arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure used to diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions affecting the hip joint. During procedure, an arthroscope, a long flexible tube with a camera and a tiny light on the end, in inserted into a small incision in the hip. This device displays magnified images of the inside of the hip joint on a video monitor. This procedure can be used to confirm diagnoses with real-time observation. If any abnormalities are detected during the arthroscopy, they can corrected, using tiny surgical instruments, during the same procedure.

What is total hip arthroplasty?

Total hip arthroplasty is the complete replacement of a damaged hip with a prosthetic one. This surgery is performed to relieve pain and restore function to a hip deteriorated by osteoarthritis or other disease conditions or injuries. Total hip arthroplasty involves replacing the entire diseased joint, comprised of the natural ball and socket and its protective cartilage. The hip is replaced with a prosthetic hip, usually made of a metal ball and a plastic socket.

What is bilateral hip arthroplasty?

Bilateral hip arthroplasty, commonly known as bilateral hip replacement, refers to the replacement of both hips during the same period of time. While this operation is more complex and has a longer recovery time than two more widely spaced procedures, it provides the patient with more complete relief from pain. Bilateral hip arthroplasty can take place as two separate operations performed about a week apart, or as a simultaneous procedure.

What is minimally invasive hip arthroplasty?

Hip arthroplasty, also known as hip replacement, is a common surgical procedure to replace damaged bone ends within the hip joints with metal and plastic prosthetic devices. New advances allow for the use of minimally invasive techniques to perform this procedure through small incisions, offering patients significant advantages over the traditional surgery. These advantages include: less pain, less bleeding, smaller scars and a shorter recovery period.

What is anterior hip arthroplasty?

Traditionally, hip arthroplasty has been performed by accessing the joint through the rear of the leg. Recent advances in technique, however, have made an anterior approach, during which the surgeon accesses the hip joint through the front of the leg, a more desirable option for most patients, since it involves less interference with adjacent muscles.

What is total hip resurfacing?

Total hip resurfacing is a procedure performed to treat patients who are suffering from advanced arthritis in the hip. During the resurfacing process, only damaged cartilage is removed and a metal cap is placed over the ball portion of the hip. The procedure is similar to that of hip replacement, except that in hip resurfacing, the femoral head and socket are not removed. Hip resurfacing is typically performed on young patients or patients with medical conditions that preclude full hip replacement surgery.

What is labral debridement?

A labral debridement is a surgical procedure designed to trim back the cartilage of the hip, or labrum, where it has been torn. The purpose of this surgery, which may be performed arthroscopically using very small incisions and tiny surgical tools, is to reduce the risk of further tearing of cartilage. It generally takes about one hour to complete.

What is a labral repair?

Labral repair is a more extensive surgery than a labral debridement since it involves not only removing damaged tissues, but performing a surgical repair with sutures. This repair procedure is called a refixation.